ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: Acid Detergent Fiber?

Re: Acid Detergent Fiber?

Susan Evans Garlinghouse (suendavid@worldnet.att.net)
Fri, 01 Aug 1997 11:40:57 -0700

Zebella wrote:
>
> I have a question for you :
>
> I bought some grain at Sam's club that is sold as horse feed (actually
> the label says its for horses, cows and goats) Anyhow, I actually
> bought it for my cow....
>
> But the label has not only crude fiber (20% max) but something called
> "Acid Detergent Fiber" (25% max)
>
> Can someone tell me what this Acid Detergent Fiber is? Doesn't sound
> too great.
>
> thanks
>
> tracy
>
> The grain mix is called Red Rose Premium, and is manufactured by
> Eshelman Feed Co of Kansas City (if this is important)

Hi Tracy,

Crude fiber is a measure of the total cellulose, hemicellulose, xylans,
lignin and any other components associated with fibrous carbohydrates.
Acid-detergent fiber just refers to a more specific analysis of fiber
content, because some fibrous carbohydrates can be utilized better than
others, which is usually of more interest to people feeding
"high-performance" ruminants, like dairy cows, rather than horse
people. Crude fiber analysis involves boiling in a weakly acidic
solution and then filtering and drying a feed sample to simulate
digestion. The disadvantage is that some of the fibrous carbohydrates
remain protein-bound or otherwise still tied up in the cell wall. Acid
detergent fiber analysis further extracts the components, specifically
the hemicellulose, which is only partially utilized by horses and only
moderately utilized by ruminants like cows.

Bottom line, if the crude fiber content is 20% and the acid-detergent
fiber content is 25%, it means there's a 5% content of hemicellulose.
No big deal. Just an analysis thing, doesn't mean the feed contains
either acid or detergent. Hope this helps.

Susan Evans Garlinghouse

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